New mum Melanie Turner lost more than half her blood after giving birth to her daughter Holly.

She was completely unaware she had suffered a catastrophic haemorrhage as she held the infant and it wasn't until her midwife leaned over and hit the hospital panic button that she realised something was seriously wrong.

"All of a sudden my room was flooded with people.

"My midwife took Holly and I was rushed to surgery."

Turner says she wouldn't be alive if people hadn't taken time out of their day to donate blood.

Now, two years later, she knows how vital donations to the blood bank are and is a regular donor on a mission to encourage others to do the same.

Turner suffered a postpartum haemorrhage - a one in 60,000 case termed as a catastrophic haemorrhage.

She lost four of her seven units of blood, she says.

"The minute I could I starting donating blood. It literally takes 15 minutes and they make it as easy as possible.

"Unless you have had a blood donation you don't get it. It's really important to me that I try and get other people to donate blood.